NOLA in September?
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Daze is coming up!!!
Feb 17 - Dbdaze - Stage 2 with Dr. S at NOLA, SCSH
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Spring - Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow!!! We (well, the girls and I) are so excited!
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Yay Laughlines! Nice way for this dr to give you the good news immediately.
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Yay Laughlines...that is AWESOME!!!
I go in Monday for an ultrasound of my pec right above my DIEP scar, and my inner thigh. Lumps in both. My PT found the pec one at my LE appt on Monday. It's probably just scar tissue. I'm just lumpy because of my damn genetics. I should just buy my own US machine!!
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Trishia - h*lls bells, girl. I will be thinking of you and sending all positive thoughts, prayers, chants, dances, etc. your way on Monday.
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well here is something interesting: I have lost 15 pounds since my stage 2 surgery in december. At this rate I could be a size 2 by the summer
. LOLI am usually like a 10/12 after all the skin they have harvested.
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Laughlines- I'm doing a happy dance for you! Congratulations!
Kathryn
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Wow, Heartbless - good for you!
I had lost a little after the surgery (Stage 1) but my appetite seems to be rearing it's head again
Also, noticed my girls swelling is going down. Not sure what size I am (or am going to be) since I'm still in the black stretchy bra from the clinic.
Spoke to Celeste today (love that they just call you to see how you are doing! what an amazing place!) and told her I am down to 37cc's in my drains. She said I may be ready to pull them this upcoming week. We'll cc. Yesterday was my 3 week anniversary of my Stage 1. Getting better every day
Kathryn
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Nordy, HOW EXCITING!!!! Welcome Cloud!
Kathryn - there is almost nothing in the world like pulling drains!!! FREEDOM!!!
Heather, I haven't been a size 2 since I was like 9 years old!! ha!!! at 5'8", I think I would be a real skinny minny to be a 2!!! I was happy to get into single digits, occasionally! I seem to hover between 8 and 10! he he.
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Back home from stage 2. Couldn't wait to take a shower and get all the travel "dirt" off. Funny to have to deal with drains and the DOM again but not nearly as intimidating as after Stage 1. I have 3 drains which is half of what I had last time so I had the routine down in a heartbeat.
I'm really swollen from lipo but not too sore. The nipple protectors are funny looking things. Remind me of the Fembots in the Austin Powers movie
Tracee - It was great to meet you and have a chat.
Dbdaze - I see you are up next for stage 2. So far it has been much easier than Stage 1 for me.
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XFit - It's wonderful to hear that you're home all safe and sound!
Kathryn - Sounds like you're healing up really well.
Heatherbless - Wow, that's a lot of weight to lose! So what country did you live in, in Scandinavia? I'm half Danish and a quarter Swedish.
Trish - I'm sorry you have to worry about this over the weekend. I hope everything works out well for you on Monday and they give you the all clear!
Hi Springtime!
Nordy - I can hardly wait to see more pics of the new baby dog!
Dragonfly - You are one tough cookie!
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XFit - I am new to some of these abbreviations - what is DOM? Also, where are the 3 drains? How long do they anticipate you having them (just trying to manage my expectations for Stage 2.)
BTW, does this group have a place to post pictures? I have gotten on TimTam's page but can't' figure out how to navigate it.
Nordy - would love to see the puppy pictures too.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend! It's supposed to get up to 75 degrees in LA! Here comes Spring!
Kathryn
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Hello all--I've been off the boards since before the holidays but I wanted to pop in and see how everyone was doing.
I know some follks have wondered at times about doing nipples locally and I wanted to share my experience...I wasn't sure about doing nipples at all, because I didn't want anything to "mess up" my great results--especially since it took so many surgeries to get there. However, I did finally decide to go for it--and I'm really glad I did. To save the extra expense and time of an additional trip to NOLA I worked with the fabulous local PS who helped me through all of my post surgical wound issues. I am 1000% happy that I did. He did areola grafts using my ample scar sites from my donor site surgeries and the nips look incredible. I'm not going to need to tattoo at all because the natural color came out great. I'm two months out and I hope the nips shrink just a tad more. He said he'll snip some in March if I want him too. My husband likes them the way they are. but I think come t-shirt weather I'd like dimmer headlights! Anyway--as many have said, the nipples really are the icing on the cake--they make me look less "alien" and focus attention away from the scars. No regrets! It was nice to have something go so smoothly!
Also, my scars are looking really good--I've experimented with a number of products but really like "Bio-Oil"--got it at Walgreens--It feels great, and It absorbs more quickly than other products so I don't have to wait so long before you can get dressed.
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Hi Tracee - just checking in. Are you home yet? How are you doing? Thinking of you.
Kathryn
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Sara - thank you SOOOO much for the info. I chose not to do the nipples at stage 2 in NOLA. Now I have insurance again and am wishing I had but not sure I want to do the whole trip back to NOLA just for nipples??? Still kicking it around, but I had also considered just going to a local PS here for them. I've seen one of their handy work on a friend of the family and was very impressed. I'm curious if it's like a day procedure, no time off from work needed for it??
Kathryn - After stage 1 I didn't come home with any compression garments aka "DOM". I did after stage 2, and that was in November. I still wear it on occasion and LOVE LOVE LOVE it, I think I'm the odd one, cause most people don't. For my stage 2, I had only one drain in my lower abdomen, it was reallly low almost down by my pubic area. I had it in only for about 4 days and it was gone so not bad at all. I think how many drains and where depends on what all the surgeon does.
This is the garment I had after stage 2: http://designveronique.com/cgi-bin/ic/dv2/853.html#
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Kathryn - I think you will find that each individual experience with girdles and drains may be a little different.
The DOM is short for dominatrix. It's the black girdle given to you at stage 1 or at least it was for me. My experience was a little more complicated than for most. I had bilateral hip flaps like you but also had DIEP (belly fat taken too). I have incisions at both the front and the back of my bod which is why I had so many drains after stage 1. I wore the DOM for many weeks because I also developed seromas after the drains came out. My bod seems to like to make lotsa fluid
My stage 1 was a loooong road to recovery and not the norm.Anyway... I had revisions to all those incisions and extensive lipo at stage 2 which is why I have 3 drains. You will likely not have as many nor will need to wear a girdle for as long. Despite my drains etc I am only four days post surgery and am feeling pretty good. I plan to start work part time next week.
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Kathryn - I have one belly drain and two hip drains. Hip drains usually take longer to dry up than belly drains.
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Hi Ladies,
I have some questions and this thread is so long I can't possibly read it all to get my answers...
I am considering DIEP flap, or even a combo DIEP / implants.
If I want to go to NOLA for the DIEP, can I have my mastectomy locally, have expanders put in and then go to NOLA? Would that need to be my only trip to NO??
Can someone explain stage 1, 2 etc??
There is a PS here in NJ I trust very much for all touch ups, but he does not do DIEP and I am hesitant to do TRAM (the muscle thing)...
I guess I just need an explanation of the travel to NOLA process... and if I didn't go to NOLA, does anyone have a recommendation in NJ/NY for the this??
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I had the DIEP, no implants so I can't answer that question for you. I personally stayed away from them because I had radiation, and because i only wanted to use my own tissue. Much less maintenance I felt, and much more real and soft etc... Typically the DIEP is done in 2-3 stages in NOLA. The 1st stage for me, they made the belly incision, took the tissue and created my breasts. The main part is getting the tissue transfered and the vessels connected and them staying "alive" and healthy! The 2nd stage they make any necessary adjustments to the scar from the DIEP incision, or to the breasts. For me, my left one was much larger, so they took that down to even it up to the right. Also at stage 2 they recreate the nipples, which at the time I opted out of. Plus then they do lipo in the belly, hips, thighs, butt, back etc.... wherever they (and you) think you need it.
As for the travel process to NOLA. I am in Oregon, Katie at NOLA is a travel ROCKSTAR! She works with you on everything, can get airline ticket assistance from mercy medical, can get you set up at a hotel or at the hope lodge, and will arrange all the car transportation to and from the airport, and the hotel and the center. The travel is truly a breeze with someone like Katie behind the scenes!
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Sounds well run... but would I have the mastectomy prior?? Or do they do that too?
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bdavis, they do masetectomies at NOLA on a regular basis. And I think there is an advantage to have the mastecomty there (beyond the benefit of just one surgery) because they do the initial incisons in a way that improves the cosmetic outcome.
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I think the whole expanders thing sounds like more surgery, work and pain if you're going to end up doing the DIEP?
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Hi bdavis. I am 3 weeks post bilateral mastectomy and immediate reconstruction at NOLA. If you do deep (I did hip flaps) there is no need for expanders because the tissue is not put under the muscle, but over it. If you do the whole kitandkaboodle at NOLA then the mastectomy is done during the same surgery as the reconstruction. NOLA has a few breast surgeons that work with that do mastectomies (I had Dr Stolier.) I was initially told I'd have the incision from the outside of my nipple toward my underarm...but the day before the surgery Dr. S said he wanted to talk to Dr Stolier about doing it under my breast. This is possible if Dr Stolier felt he could remove all of my upper breast tissue from that incision. When I woke up I was happy to find that my scar was indeed under my breast.
As for the implant -- is that because you don't feel you have enough tissue fat to create a large enough breast? The Drs at NOLA have ways to deal with that. There are some women on the boards that have done stacked tissue - this is where they take tissue from two donor sites (like you stomach and hip) and stack them on top of each other for a more ample result. I was hoping for C cups and Dr. S said he may also need to go to my stomach (DIEP) to get enough fat -- but apparently I had enough on my hips
I hope this helps. As you can see we on the board are all big fans of NOLA, and feel that the Drs there truly are artists and miracle workers - they find tissue/fat where others claim there are none. I suggest you have a consult with Dr S or Dr D before you make your final decision.
Good luck!
Kathryn
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BDavis, do you need to have radiation after you're done with chemo? Or no?
there are several reasons why I think doing the mast. in NOLA is a good thing. (It's what I did). they do it all the time and have a few oncology surgeons they work with. Many women here have done this. You can keep all your own skin and nipples, a huge bonus. That is likely not the case locally, at least it was not for me locally. It is one of the main reasons I wanted my mast. in NOLA. If you need rads, like I did, they can work with that too. (if you do I can explain more). If at all possible, start in NOLA for the best results. My advice!
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Currently, I am supposed to have rads because I had a lumpectomy, but if I had a mastectomy, then I assume I don't need rads.
My reason for asking about an implant in addition to DIEP is about longevity... Just wondering since the DIEP is all fat how it holds up over time. Breast tissue is fibrous and I am concerned that fat would sag, no?? How do they prevent that. I am currently a C/D and always have been... At this point in my life, I do have enough fat on my belly to create the flap, at slightly overweight... so that shouldn't be a problem... but I do have a C-section scar. Does that impact the procedure??
I am interested in the art at NOLA with the PS, but I am also particular about the BS doing the MX.. I would NOT want to preserve my nipple as I want as much tissue removed as possible to avoid recurrance... I know my local BS, at least for a friend of mine, was less concerned about the incision location and more concerned about getting all the tissue.
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bdavis - the docs make nice firm breasts and remove excess skin so the effect is a breast lift. it's like you're starting all over with teenager breasts! I think you'll have plenty more years before you'd have to worry about them sagging. One of the advantages of not having implants is that they feel softer and more natural. But I have heard of women having implants added to make bigger breasts. I'm with most of the other gals here, tho, in thinking that if you can get enough voume without implants, why add implants and all the attendant risks and downsides that go along with them? Does seem to kind of defeat the purpose, to some degree.
They do use breast surgeons at NOLA and they would never sacrifice safety for aesthetics. As Kathryn said, they only did the under breast incision after determining they were able to remove all the breast tissue using that location. The docs are skilled enough to tackle this using several different surgical techniques, as needed, depending on each case.
Re: nipple sparing, they did a study that is available on their website that addresses the issue of safety. Some of us have taken this route and feel confident we are not leaving ourselves at greater risk. There are circumstances where it is not reommended, however, which are outlined in the study.
Your decision about surgeons does have to be based in your trust in their skill and experience. Only you can decide what's best for you. I have total trust that my surgeries at NOLA were carried out with the highest prority placed on both safety and aesthetics. You don't necessarily have to sacrifice one for the other. Good luck with your decision!
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Thank God! I was looking for a facebook (like) button!
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bdavis I had bi-lat mastectomy at NOLA and DIEP at the same time. I talked to the breast surgeon and just told her if they felt they needed to take the nipple on the BC side, to take them both, and that is what they did. I agree with the others that I think the finished look is much better if you have both at the same time. Good luck with your decision, and keep us informed!
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Thank you everyone.. this is so hard.... wouldn't it be great if we could just hit the EASY button and have someone we trust implicitly make all our decisions for us?? And then set up all our appointments?? I feel so overwhelmed... I think I will look into NOLA and SLOAN KETTERING in NYC (since I live in NJ) and look to have the procedure done all at one time... Sloan would be hugely easier for me (train/car ride vs plane), and its NYC... so I assume they are competent at Sloan.
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My advice is to never make any assumptions without finding out how much experience the surgeon has and seeing result photos. Some gals here have made similar assumptions based on the general reputation of the hospital and the size of the city - with disastrous results. I agree Sloan Ketterling has an excellent reputation for cancer treatment. I don't know about their breast reconstruction results. Again, one does not preclude the other.
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